22 Dream

 

The dreams by ‘72 were nestled in her head,

A few years after a family friend took them

For a magic carpet ride she would never forget.

“I want one, I’ll have one, someday, someway,” she said.

 

Eighty-two gave way to ‘92 and the love of a man,

Along with higher education and bills and a career,

And in due time a house, two children, and minivan,

Not merely one, not just two, but eventually three.

 

The new millennium dawned without mayhem,

And the little boys got big and left the nest.

The jobs came and went with the passing of years,

But not those dreams of the smiling little girl.

 

Life at the shore with boardwalk strolls and the beach,

Cruising along leisurely on bikes along Ocean Avenue,

Watching the river flow and all kinds of wheels,

Spinning north, south, east, west, on the roads.

 

The most magical of carpet rides emerges,

Complete with the world’s smallest bow tie.

“We can do this,” her mate declares one spring,

And begins reaching out on their computer and phone.

 

The waiting list stretches to seven months,

As the details of the dream become clearer,

Then a voice on the phone merrily announces,

“We’re ready to make your dream come true.”

 

Three months of winter later it’s a reality.

Her blue eyes stare at the long body in disbelief,

The mid-engine roars, the hard roof comes down,

And she smiles while finally driving away in her 22 Dream.

 

 

Copyright 2024, Charles A. Bruns

Las Islas Canarias

A word I found myself frequently using during my visit to the Canary Islands (referred to by local Spaniards as las Islas Canarias) this spring was “exotic.” Another word I used even more frequently was “wow.” There aren’t too many places in the world, after all, where ranges of mountains, some of them volcanic, and endless blue seas can be viewed at the same time. There are also few places where palm trees and cactus appear near each other.

But that’s just part of the allure of the Canary Islands.

 

Las Islas Canarias has a fascinating history and culture. Contrary to what many people may believe, the islands’ name is not derived from birds, but rather, from the presence of large dogs that early settlers observed. A species of birds on the island were subsequently referred to as canaries. 

 

The Canary Islands are believed to have been visited by many ancient civilizations, including the Romans, before Spaniards claimed most of it under their rule in the 15^th century. Spain was able to repulse attacks from rival empires as well as pirates and other invaders for hundreds of years. After the failure of an independence movement in the mid-1970s, the Canary Islands remain a largely autonomous Spanish province today. Its people, architecture, and food are largely similar to those of Spain, but in an exotic tropical island setting near the northwest coast of Africa. Wow!

 

Of particular interest to me during my visit to the Tenerife and Gran Canaria isles was the large presence of  Cuban immigrants. I got to practice my Spanish language skills with taxi drivers, waitresses, and other locals in Costa Adeje, Las Palmas and neighboring areas who said they immigrated to the Canary Islands from Cuba during the past 5-20 years. The irony is that their families originally left the Canary Islands for Cuba approximately 70-100 years earlier for economic opportunities, and then returned to the Canary Islands for mostly the same reason. Some told me that other relatives chose to leave Cuba for Florida and New Jersey instead.  

 

On a personal level, it was wonderful for me to spend time in the Canary Islands since many of my distant ancestors are highly likely to have emigrated from there to Cuba, according to my 23andMe report. Some relatives have also told me this. I’m grateful my wife, our sons and their wives and granddaughter were able to enjoy being in such a special place with me. It was the best vacation I’ve ever had.

 

I was informed in advance by the only other American I know to have visited the Canary Islands that people from the United States are considered “exotic” by locals. He was right. One of the tour guides even asked if our boat got lost on its way from New York. She pointed out some of the many sights in the Canary Islands that made me say, “wow.”

 

I encourage more Americans to visit the Canary Islands. I certainly look forward to returning! 

To see a few more of the pictures I took while in the Canary Islands, click on the following of my Instagram posts:

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

Love and marriage and love

Before marriage there must be love,

And after marriage there must be even more love,

For love cannot be the vessel to a marriage alone.

It must also be what nurtures and grows 

The happiness of the life together thereafter.

Love and marriage and love in that order,

In very good times and equally in bad,

On sunny summer days and cold winter nights,

During sounds of laughter and sniffles with tears,

When the pantry is full and glass half empty.

Love and marriage and love in that order,

Even when the jobs become very demanding,

And especially when the world becomes distracting,

Magnifying the lines between yours and mine

When they should clearly and continuously be “ours.”

Love and marriage and love in that order,

Just like this year will lead to the next,

And this decade to the one after,

As your young minds and bodies age

Evolving for better and for worse.

After marriage there must be more love,

For your everlasting love will be the foundation

That makes your strong marriage the fulfillment

Of a life you were truly destined 

To share together hand in hand.

 ©Copyright 2024, Charles A. Bruns

This poem was written for the marriage of my youngest son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law Hillary, and read for the first time at their wedding ceremony. 

Florida Keys Cubans

Cubans began settling in Key West nearly 200 years ago, shortly after Spain sold the Cayo Hueso territory to the United States for 2,000 U.S. dollars in a transaction that took place in Havana. The first Key West Cubans were mostly cigar rollers and fishermen.  

“Prior to 1868, Key West’s population consisted of about 5,000 inhabitants but by 1880 had risen to over 15,000 inhabitants mostly due to the Cuban immigration,” wrote Alejandro F. Pascual in his 2013 book, Key West: Passion for Cuba’s Liberty. “Key West increasingly started to smell like tobacco, Cuban coffee, and black beans.”

 

Pascual also wrote that the Cuban community in Key West “was known for its patriotism, its generosity, its perseverance, and its intensity.” By 1876, Key West had its first Cuban mayor as well as Cuban municipal judges and federal customs officials. In 1890, the San Carlos educational, patriotic, and civic center, which “was like the holy temple of the Cubans” according to Pascual, moved to Duval Street, where it still stands today. Jose Marti spoke there late in the 19^th century to stir support for Cuba’s eventually successful fight for independence from Spain.

 

After the Revolution resulted in the loss of political freedom and economic opportunity across Cuba, thousands of Cubans left the Communist island on boats, rafts, and various makeshift watercraft and landed in the Florida Keys. During the past 60-plus years, many thousands more have drowned during the dangerous 90-100-mile journey. Since the mid-1990s, several thousand have been intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard and deported back to Cuba.

 

Those who have successfully arrived from Cuba, however, are increasingly making their presence known in commerce across the Florida Keys beyond Key West. During my visits since 2007, I’ve observed a significant increase in the number of “Cuban food” and “Cuban coffee” signs along the approximately 100-mile stretch of road between Key Largo and Key West. 

 

On my most recent trip, I heard about an Islamorada fish market operated by Cubans. I pumped gas into my rental car at a station with a “Cuban coffee” sign on its window and Spanish-speaking staff and patrons. And yes, I enjoyed the delicious traditional Cuban food and wonderful café con leche and cortadito coffees available at different restaurants and cafes during my week in the Florida Keys. I also revisited the San Carlos Institute to learn more about the history of Cubans in Key West while observing how that history is continuing to be written across the Florida Keys.

Cursive's comeback?

The Wall Street Journal article, "Cursive Is Coming Back, Now That Kids Can't Read Grandma's Letters," is also available on Apple News at https://apple.news/Agz6xb6nHSSeesl_ZCzgoXA.  

New Poems for the 2023 Long Branch Poetry Festival

Sea Changes

Things are not they what use to be,

It seems times are changing for the worse,

Lamented the blonde who looked too young

To be toiling 40 years at the family pharmacy 

That would be closing in just a few days.

 

Sometimes they change for the worse,

And other times they change for the better,

Offered the sad customer who has seen many changes

In over 60 years of living in old and new  neighborhoods,

To the very small comfort of the worker losing her job.

 

The home of original music closed its doors

But hope remained the new owner would reopen it

A better place with more music, drinks, and food.

But little more than a year later it was bulldozed to the ground,

Keeping everyone guessing what will be there next.

 

Maybe it will meet the same fate as the cool cafe

That was frequented at night by kids both young and old

Who downed their Dutch coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches.

So much in fact they tired the owner right out of business,

Giving way to plans for more new homes and businesses.

 

I see many of the changes in our neighborhood.

I sense the loss people feel around our world.

Why oh why fear change while also wanting things better?

The sea to our east changes every day after all,

But to it we always flock to relax and recharge.

Meeting Up at the Jersey Shore

 

I first saw you when the packed train left the station.

I watched you with your friends during the hour we traveled to the shore,

And pretended not to while talking to my buddies and trying to act cool.

When the doors opened, my legs caught up to yours and our eyes met.

 

I started talking to you and almost forgot about my friends,

And your bright smile lit up your face as we chatted with each other 

Among the throng that moved quickly and loudly toward the beach.

I whiffed the weed and saw the bottles but only cared about you that moment.

 

And the moment was soon lost as chaos broke out in the village by the sea.

There was pushing and shoving and yelling and then fights and blood.

There was drinking and smoking and then broken glass and debris on the street.

There was dancing and twerking on the boardwalk and then stomping atop cars.

 

And then just like that you were apart from me, out of sight.

I headed back to the train station and looked but could not find you.

I searched the packed platform hoping to see you again

And desperately moved from one car to the next on the train home to no avail.

 

I remember your name but never found out where you lived,

Or what you were doing during the rest of the summer,

Nor what your plans were for autumn or the rest of your life.

But I hope the two of us meet up again at the Jersey Shore.

 

 

©Copyright 2023, Charles A.  Bruns

 

The Jersey Shore's First Luxury Condominium: A Hard-to-Believe History of Harbour Mansion

I'm pleased to announce my new book, The Jersey Shore's First Luxury Condominium, a Hard-to-Believe History of Harbour Mansion, is available at no cost on Apple Books!

This ebook is an 11-part history of the nine-story, 115-unit building located on Ocean Avenue in the West End section of Long Branch. Based on the blog series I published during 2016-17 and my presentation at the Long Branch Free Public Library, this book traces the origins of the oceanfront property, the construction of the building during 1967-68, its conversion from apartments to condo units in the mid-1970s, and the changes in the building and its neighborhood over the years. It identifies many of the famous and infamous people who have shaped its colorful history well into the 21st century, and includes fascinating photos and newspaper excerpts from its storied past.

Get the ebook for free on Apple Books at:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-jersey-shores-first-luxury-condominium/id6448854580?ls=1

In case you are unable to access the free ebook on Apple Books, a downloadable and printable PDF file of the book is available from the Long Branch Free Public Library website's local history page or via the following link:

https://www.longbranchlib.org/_files/ugd/b3b8ff_ac68893862dd45d4959bb2571ba1403e.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2eHXKxh7UecV2J9bK4IedYiXRdZ2fzSMoD5g9giUCj50CKdpBzyoiCWw0